2007 CCIW Men’s Soccer Preview

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The 2007 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s soccer season begins with a new face at the helm of a winning program.

For the first time since 1969, Wheaton College will begin a men’s soccer season with a head coach other than Joe Bean. Dr. Michael Giuliano comes to Wheaton after three years as the head women’s coach at San Diego State University. In Bean’s last season, the Thunder finished with a record of 16-8-4 (4-2-1 in the CCIW) in 2006, culminated by an improbable run to the national championship game where the Thunder lost to Messiah 3-0. Wheaton enters 2007 as the second ranked team in the nation according to the latest preseason poll released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), and 10th according to D3kicks.com, a website devoted to the coverage of NCAA Division III soccer.

Giuliano will have plenty to work with as the coach looks to lead his new team to an even better encore to the 2006 season. The Thunder return the forward tandem of senior Strider Elass and junior Joel DeLass. Elass, a two-time all-conference selection, scored 10 goals, with three assists last season. DeLass, a second-team all-conference honoree in 2006, was second on the team with 11 goals and three assists last season. Junior Ben Theimer returns at midfield and will be joined by newcomer Matt Swartz, a transfer from Division I Creighton University. In goal, the Thunder will have sophomore Micah Lamb, senior Ben Dons and freshman Andrew Hitz all competing for a chance to replace Ryan Souders.

Defending conference champion North Park has won the last three CCIW championships and the squad led by head coach John Born will again be tough in 2007. The Vikings (14-3-2, 6-0-1) are ranked 17th nationally in the 2007 preseason poll released by D3Kicks.com and are ready to defend their titles of the last three seasons. Second-team All-American midfielder Isaac Lee is back for his senior season after spending last summer practicing with the first string of the Chicago Fire, the city’s Major League Soccer franchise. Lee also trained with the South Korean Olympic team, of which he is a member. Lee, however, is expected to miss the first couple of weeks due to an illness. Senior Matt Bond is also back, but the Vikings will have to replace graduated goalkeeper Austin Person.

Carthage (11-5-3, 5-1-1) placed second in the CCIW last season and earned a spot as the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The Red Men return 18-of-22 letterwinners and 10-of-11 starters. The graduated Max Zbilut is the only starter not returning in 2007. Carthage welcomes back three all-conference players including goalkeeper Andy Connor, midfielder Chris Fidlow and defender Pat Walsh. Connor had a 1.09 goals against average and seven shutouts last season, while Fidlow had a team-leading seven assists as all three players were named to the second-team of the all-conference squad last season.

Augustana (10-9-0, 4-3-0) recently welcomed new head coach Brenton Joseph to the Rock Island, Ill., school. Joseph replaces Scott Mejia who will turn his attention full time to the Vikings’ women’s program. Augustana has rattled off 12 straight winning seasons and will look to continue that trend in 2007. Leading scorer Nick Cosentino is back after scoring six goals and one assist for 13 points. Goalkeeper Michael Dolan returns as well. Dolan accomplished a 1.42 goals against average last season. Scott Marlega, Matt Meyer and Petar Tomicic will be the team captains in 2007. Meyer contributed 10 points last season with two goals and a team leading six assists, while Marlega was another key factor on offense with four goals for a total of eight points. Tomicic anchored the defense that only allowed 26 goals in 19 contests.

The Illinois Wesleyan Titans finished 2006 with a 7-10-1 (3-3-1) record and just missed qualifying for the 2006 CCIW Tournament. Junior Matas Cyvas returns to his team as a two-time all-conference player and a 2006 NSCAA/Adidas NCAA Division III all-North Region player. Cyvas was chosen as the most valuable defensive player for the 2005 and 2006 Illinois Wesleyan soccer teams. Senior Ikenna Odinaka is also back at forward after starting 16 of 18 games last season.

New Millikin head coach B.J. Noble takes the reigns of a program that went 5-11-1 (2-5-0) last season. Noble comes to Millikin after serving as the assistant men’s coach at the University of Redlands from 2004-06. Noble will look to a pair of goalkeepers in juniors Bruce Janek and Tyler Kautz to lead the team. Janek was named the team’s co-defensive MVP last season after more than 1,000 minutes in goal with a 1.60 goals against average. Sophomore Matt Laude, the team’s Freshman of the Year last season, is back after finishing with four goals and three assists last season.
Elmhurst head coach Dave DiTomasso and company will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2006 campaign which saw the Bluejays finish 3-12-4 (1-4-2). DiTomasso will have senior Britt Blackwell back in goal this season after he posted a 1.47 goals against average and 110 saves last season. On offense, the Bluejays will look to returning all-conference player Tom Hunka and Jake Pahr. Hunka was second on the team in scoring last season with 11 points (four goals, three assists), while Pahr was third with 10 points (five goals). Hunka earned first-team all-conference honors last season.

Like Wheaton, North Park and Millikin, North Central will also be welcoming in a new head coach in 2007. Matt Klosterman joins the Cardinals after five years as the women’s coach at Buena Vista University (Iowa). The Cardinals have 12 players returning including Micah Melendrez who started 19 games last season with seven goals and 16 points, both tops for North Central. Melendrez earned second-team all-conference honors in 2006.